If Jaylen Brown is indeed on the trade block, everything completely changes for the Miami Heat. Brown is one of the few superstar players the Heat should be willing to put everything (except for Bam Adebayo) on the table for. He's the game-changing trade target this front office may have been holding out for.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, while the Boston Celtics may not be actively shopping Brown, there are multiple teams with "significant interest" in trading for him. And, at the very least, the Celtics are open to listening to those offers.
Assuming that is indeed the case, the Heat should be registering interest in Brown as we speak. Whether the Heat has enough trade assets to not only appease the Celtics but also beat out other bidders is an entirely different story. But you can bet that Pat Riley and the front office will at least try to pull off such a move.
Jaylen Brown is the superstar the Heat needs
In many ways, Brown represents the superstar that the Heat needs to rejuvenate their franchise and the fan base. He's in the middle of his prime years and falls right in line with Bam's timeline. Brown is not the perfect superstar, but he's certainly one who would go a long way in altering the Heat's trajectory.
For a franchise that prides itself on getting the most out of its players, adding Brown to the mix would be an interesting experiment for the Heat. If Brown has another gear in his trajectory as a player, the Heat should be confident they'll be able to help get him there.
In Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's system, Brown's best basketball could still be ahead of him. There are questions about whether he can carry an offense and be a legit No. 1 option in the league, but the Heat should be willing to take that gamble.
Brown has played alongside Jayson Tatum for the majority of his career, but he could be ready for the limelight as a No. 1 option. He certainly has the talent and experience to pull off such a feat. He's just never been given the chance. The Heat would give him that opportunity to prove his naysayers wrong while also adding the superstar that has eluded them of late.
If the last couple of days are any indication, it's pretty clear that the Celtics are open for business. Whether they're willing to trade such an integral part of their team remains to be seen, but the injury to Tatum may have completely altered their team's future.
Only time will tell, but the Heat may have just been gifted their ideal pipe dream trade target. They'll certainly be interested; can they capitalize?